So we know Nintendo 3DS doesn’t have a whole lot of games just yet. (Hence our helpful list of 3DS games we’d like to see). Which is why we were kind of excited by Zoo Mani, the just announced new Ubisoft game for 3DS. A quick check wasn’t of our list of (pre-launch) confirmed 3DS games and we confirm this is new news – and it doesn’t sound half bad either.

Players will strive to build a world-class zoo destination by choosing their
animals, building their habitats and training their animals to attract more
guests to their park. Players can watch and virtually touch the animals as
they practically jump off the screen, showing off their personality and
skills. Plus, with more than 100 creatures, each with their own realistic 3D
effects, movements and noises…

That sounds pretty cool, but let’s pause and think about this Zebroid for a second:

Yeah, you can keep talking, Ubisoft press release, but all I’m going to be thinking about is the chance to manage a zoo full of mammal hybrids.

As players progress in the game, they unlock more and more realistically
rendered 3D animals to collect and discover. The rarer the animal, the more
traffic the zoo will receive. Additionally, players can use the Nintendo 3DS
gyro sensor to capture their animals’ talents as if the handheld were a
video camera. The better shots the player captures, the more positive
feedback they will get from their audience and the more successful their zoo
will become.

You know what? This actually sounds kind of awesome. At first I was all ‘YES’ and then I went ‘aw man!’ because it’s not actually out until June, presumably around E3 time. The above photos don’t look so great but I’m assuming that has to do with the inability of our monitors to render 3D images. Presumably they’ll look much better in 3D and however that turns out, this sounds like a pretty great use of the 3DS capabilities. We might have to take a closer look in June.